


Aren't We Crazy?

by orphan_account



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Age Difference, I know Tim and Brian are MH, Might be more tags, Original Character - Freeform, i write this instead of sleeping, please no hate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-01 02:52:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10179065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Karrie WIlliams, a normal enough girl. Well, that's what she thought. When she's saved by a mysterious being in the woods, she comes to learn that there's a lot more to her than what she knew.I'm horrible at summaries, and it's a lot deeper than that, I promise. ;-;





	1. Chapter 1

I walk with a leisurely pace through the woods, my mp3 player playing lowly from within my pocket.  
School had let out early, meaning I could take my time before my mother goes ape-shit because I’m ‘late.’  
I stop my walking as the sound of footsteps catches my ears. I power off my mp3 player through my pocket, and turn around, only to find I’m truly alone. My brow knits together, as I’m confused because I’m sure of what I heard.  
                “Hey,” I hear a gruff voice say behind me, and now I’m positive I heard something before, as the man standing before me is well in the flesh. He put a hand on his hip, “What are you doing here?”  
                I brush strand of plain brown hair from my face, and take in his features as I respond with a casual, “Just walkin’ home…” He is one of the boys from my school. All I know is that most girls go ga-ga over him, and that he plays the clarinet in my band class.  
                “You know…” He leaned in close to my face, to where his shoulder length, black hair was almost touching me, “I hear there’s a monster in these woods…”  
                I scoff as he grins teasingly, and take a cautious step away from him, “Yeah right,” I smile wearily as he steps forward after me.  
                “I hear it likes to kill little girls especially,” He grinned, closing the space between us. He grasped my wrists in his hands.  
                “Let go…” I warn quietly, and he chuckles.  
                “Why would I do that? I can protect you from the monster…” His grin spread against my neck.  
I shudder, closing my eyes in dreaded anticipation. My body freezes up as a warmth spreads on my stomach. I open my eyes when I feel the weight on me fall away. On the ground, soaked in their own blood was the boy.  
I stare down at the body wide-eyed, bring my hand to my mouth as I was unsure how to feel.  
Looking up from the body, I see something standing in the shade of a nearby tree.  
A sudden, sharp, stabbing pain spreads through my head. I grip the sides of my head, and before I know it, my vision has faded to an inky black.

I wake up in my bed- a familiar place to me.  
There still remained a light numbness to my head, so I stayed in bed to avoid falling over. I just want to sink into my bed, and never go back to the woods. It’s the only path I have to school, though.  
Seems I’m at a fork in the road in my mind…  
I can either pretend none of that ever happened, or I can go back…  
What am I talking about? Of course I’m going back!  
It's just… I can’t help but shake the feeling I _must_ go back there. Like two opposing ends of a magnet- the woods seem to pull me.

I stayed in my bed until nightfall. My parents will be gone for the weekend, so I’m free to do as I please- within the confines of being only a teenager. Halfway through the woods, I realize I had nothing of which to protect myself with. I groan, and drag an exasperated hand down my face. Halfway down my face, I freeze, feeling a presence behind me.  
                “Well well well…” It’s a low voice, barely audible above the winds in the trees. I turn around, coming eyes to eye with a frightening sight. A man stood, his white hoodie messy and covered in blood.  
I stare, unable to move, and unable to think straight.  
His lidless eyes seemingly narrowed slightly, “What are you doing in these woods?”  
                “I, uhm…” I stammer, and my eyes go to the polished knife in his hands as it glistened in the moonlight. “I was just… going out for a stroll…” I lie, and his slashed grin widens.  
                “You’re lying,” He growled. “I _hate_ liars!” He barked, and jumped at me.  
I quickly step to the side, barely missing the lash of the knife. I was sure my fate would be sealed, but another voice rang through the trees as the man finally got me pinned down.  
                “Jeff!” The voice shouted, and next thing I know, the man is off of me, and two are tumbling to the ground. I stand up, only to tense up, feeling a hand rest on my shoulder.  
I turn quickly behind me, and a man in a black mask and yellow hoodie motioned for me to be quiet. I don’t hesitate to oblige, and I stay quite as I watch the men fight.  
                The hand on my shoulder tightened, and I turned from the fight to face the other again. They lifted their mask to his mouth, “Don’t worry,” He said quietly, “We’re here to help you.” He replaced his mask, and turned back to the fight, where the other man was straddling the other’s chest, his hands doing anything but resting on the other’s neck.  
                The man, known as Jeff, gasped for air before weakly growling out, “Okay, okay!” He raised his hands, and threw the other masked man off of him. He panted for a second, “…I give up…”  
                “Good,” The white masked man patted his hands from dirt, and turned to me and the man behind me. “Hoody, have you explained everything?”  
                “No. Before we left, boss informed me he would be explaining the situation,” He said. I took a step back from the three.  
                “What is going on!?” I say forcefully, throwing my hands out to my sides in exaggeration. “Who are you guys; why did you say you’re here to ‘help me’?”  The Jeff-guy just rolled his eyes, but the other’s expressions were hidden behind their masks.  
                “I said it because it’s true,” The man named Hoody said, turning to me. “Don’t worry, everything will be explained by boss.”  
                My brow knit together, “Who is… _boss_?” I ask, still a bit weary in their presence.  
                The white masked man waved a dismissive hand, “All will be explained, all you have to do is follow us.” He reached an outstretched hand towards me, and at first, I find myself wanting to go with them. I mean, it’s not like my parent’s would care. They don’t pay attention to me as it is, so losing a child would mean nothing to them.  
I take his hand confidently, and stare into the eyeholes in his mask.  
                “I’ll go with you,” I nod, and the man nods in satisfaction.  
                “Good,” He said, and the black came again.

I wake up again in the dark. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, and soon I’m able to make out the outlines of a desk on the other side of the room. I sit up from the black sheeted bed, and swing my legs over the side.  
                **“So, you’re awake?”** A low voice reverberated through my empty thoughts.  
                “Where…” I barely finish tat words before a being materializes in front of me.  
                  **“Welcome, Karrie,”** the being greeted, and I lowered my guard just a bit, **“You must be very confused, so let me explain: You have been chosen to be my…** _underling-_ a proxy, as some call it.”  
               “…Why me?” I ask, and he shakes his faceless head.  
                **“That was not for me to decide. The council, in fact, decided that it was to be you. I ordered my Proxies to gather you.”** It felt like he was almost… smiling, even with his lack of features.  
I’m still put off by his lack of face, and his incredible height.  
                “What does a Proxy do?” I ask cautiously, still having not made up my mind on whether or not to trust this being.  
                **“At first there will be simple tasks- like small errands. Then once you are experienced enough, I will assign you to more dangerous missions and such.”** He paused, and pinched the bridge of his nose, **“How foolish of me,”** The creature extended his large hand, **“I am the Slender Man.”**  
               Without thinking I take his hand, feeling the buzz of static electricity coming from his pale white skin. “I guess you already know a lot about me… Seeing as you already know my name,” I shrug, and he retracts his hand.  
                **“Actually, on the contrary,”** He sighed, despite his lack of mouth. **“I will need you to fill out this interest survey. I will get the information not on the packet through my own methods.”**  
               “Methods?” I ask, and he nods.  
                **“Yes? My own methods? Just as you have your on methods of going about your obstacles?”** Slender Man shrugged and, after leafing through the filing cabinet by what I assumed to be his desk, handed me a thin packet.  
                “I’ll get this done as soon as I can,” I say blankly, and he turns to me rather quickly from the cabinet.  
                **“That’s it?”** He asked, sounding only slightly surprised, **“No argument or fight to get your soul back?”**  
               “I have nothing to argue,” I say, a depression falling on me like a ton of bricks, stranger still, it lets up rather quickly. “My parents wouldn’t care, and I have no purpose in life, so-“  
                **“Trust me, you have a purpose,”** He tries to assure me, but I don’t believe him. **“I can tell you’re doubting me…”** He sighed, and rested a cold hand on my uncovered shoulder, **“Believe me- for I tell no lies- not to _my_ underlings…” ** I got the feeling he was taking in my image, and I became a tad bit self-conscious. ****  
I smile, trying to warm up to who will inevitably be my boss, “Alright.”  
Slender Man ushered me out of his room/office and into the main room after an unnerving moment of silence.  
I stand awkwardly and watch the two men as they were sitting on the ratty couch, their masks only lifted up to just under their noses.  
                “Oh,” The one with the yellow hoodie- cleverly names Hoody- turned to me, and I sort of froze up, “Hey, Karrie.” He waved a hand, beckoning me closer. “Did Boss give you your first assignment?” He grinned, “If so, we could help you- since you are a noob at this whole sort of thing.”  
                I smile, still slightly put off by the whole situation. “I’d like your help, really, but he gave me a survey… Is that a bad thing?” I ask, looking from Hoody to the white masked man.  
                “No. No…” The man in the white mask clarified. He motioned towards the packet, “We had to do that too. If any anything, it’s a good thing. With that information, he won’t be _as_ tempted to give you a mission that you won’t be able to complete.”  
                “Oh, alright,” I look down at the packet, skimming over the questions. They seem normal enough.  
                “Here,” I look up from the paper, where Hoody has his hand outstretched with a pen in his hand.  
“I figured you might have not brought one with you. It happened to me when I was first a Proxy.” He shrugged, a friendly smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.   
                I scan the pen over quickly before taking it from his gloved hand, “Thank you…”  
                “So, what do you think of the big man?” The other asked, only half of a smile etched into his features. “He isn’t the kindest, huh?” He chuckled, and Hoody followed suit.  
                “I thought he was… kind _enough_ ,” I shrug, and Hoody waved a dismissive hand.  
                “That was just his ‘Oh look, a new person’ façade,” His smile was tarnished only slightly as he spoke, “Don’t worry, he’ll show his true colors soon enough.” His smile returned quicker than I thought it would as he opened his mouth to speak. It soon fell again as Masky started speaking.  
                “He did that to a friend- well not anymore- of ours,” His smile also faded, “You see, he’s pretty much the master of deception and illusion. Hell, kids go missing all the time because of him.”  
He sighed, “But my point is that you shouldn’t ever trust him. Don’t doubt him, but don’t give yourself completely to him- you become empty that way.”  
I opened my mouth to say something in reply, but the door to the shack was kicked down, and a lively person bounded through, also kicking the door shut behind him.  
“Oh,” Masky frowned, “Hi, Toby.”  
                “Hellllooo, Timothy!” The other said, his brown hair feathered around his orange goggles and mouth guard. “What’s on the agenda today” He asked excitably, before his wild eyes met mine.  
“Who’s the chick?” He asked, his voice lowering.  
                “This is Karrie,” Masky introduced before I could even open my mouth to speak. “She’s Boss’ new proxy. She’ll be working with us until proxy pairs can be reassigned.” He grabbed the clipboard from off the coffee table, and from the darkness of his mask, I could see his brown eyes scan over the words.  
“But a possibility that Boss talked about was me and Hoody splitting and Toby, you get paired with him while I teach Karrie.”  
                “Oh okay,” Toby said, calming. “But this isn’t until-“  
                “-Until she’s trained in all fields, and we can find out what her specialty is,” Masky nodded, and pulled down his mask. “Personally, I mentioned the possibility because I strongly believe Ms. Williams would be better in observation and stealth.”  
                “I don’t want to seem in protest to what you’re saying, Masky,” Hoody didn’t bother with his mask, “But don’t you think it’s too early to make assumptions?”  
                Masky turned back to the clipboard, and pulled from the bottom a manila folder with my name scrawled across the tab, “You’re point? We have early observational files and notes.”  
                “Touché,” Hoody nodded, finally pulling down his own mask and tucking it into the front of his hood. “But still, I believe that Slender himself would know what’s best placement-wise.”  
I stare at the two for a second.  
                “Wait, but didn’t you say to not trust him?” I ask, and Hoody sighs.  
                “It’s complicated… You can’t trust him completely, but you have to be able to trust him enough to get your job done… Though at the same time, you must keep in mind that he will kill _all_ of us at some point or another if we don’t die in action,” I felt a shiver go down my spine at those words.  
                “I’ll… keep that in mind…” I mummer, and look to the side. I don’t understand how that could be; he was so nice back there, in his office…  
 I guess the most that I can do is believe these guys, they have been here longer than me.  
                “It’d be best for you,” Masky nodded. He set the clipboard back down.  
                “Wait, but you didn’t answer my question,” Toby put his hands on his hips, mindful of the two very different hatchets on both of his sides. “What are we doing today?”  
                Masky sighed heavily, and picked up the clipboard again, “Today you and Hoody will be going out to walk the perimeter and everything that goes with that- you know the drill- and Karrie and I will be going over the basics and the packet that Boss gave them,” He turned to me, and I met his brown eyes from within his mask. They were so… tired, and dark. It wouldn’t surprise me if he hadn’t slept for years.  
                “Alright,” I smiled, and Masky’s lingered on my lips.  
                “Why are you smiling?” I could almost hear the grin in his voice. When I replied with a shrug, he shook his head, “You really are a strange one… but let me tell you that you were chosen by the council for a reason, and-“  
                Toby interrupted, “She was chosen by the council!?” He sounded shocked. His hands dropped from his hips in exaggeration.  
                “Yes, Toby,” Masky groaned, and slapped the clipboard down into his lap. “I thought Boss would have told you this already…”  
                “No!” Toby whined, his neck snapping to the side with a loud _crack._  
                “Well, maybe that’s because you’re unreliable. You probably would have told all the other operators about her, anyways,” Masky muttered, and Toby’s pale, white face turned pink.  
                “I am plenty reliable! And I wouldn’t have told anyone!” He shouted, and stormed off down the short hall to a room on the left of Slender’s door.  
Masky and Hoody sighed in unison.  
                Hoody spoke up, “They’re always fighting.”  
                “I only say what’s true,” Masky defended himself, folding his arms over his broad chest.  
                “Sure,” Hoody stretched the ‘r’ sound, and Masky shot him a glare.  
                 “Keep being skeptical, I dare you,” He warned, and Hoody just chucked.  
                **“Boys,”** Our boss suddenly appeared at my side, and my heart stuttered in surprise. **“And girls,”** He looked down at me before facing the two other Proxies again, **“It is time our day start, and the human’s to end. Missions and other assignments should start as soon as possible, which means Hoody, you should go and retrieve Toby.”** He looked between me and Masky as Hoody left down the hall. **“Since I will be at a meeting, Masky, you can use my office if you need to, to go over the materials needed for Miss Karrie.”**  
                “Yes, sir,” Masky answered blandly, and took the paper Slender outstretched to him. “I will get right to it.”                  
                **“Very well,”** The tall being nodded, and set a hand on my shoulder briefly, **“When I return, do tell me how your lessons went. I will be asking Timothy how your lessons went as well.”** Removing his large hand, he stepped to the side, **“Farewell, I shall return.”**  
               “Goodbye,” I say quietly as he disappears within the blink of an eye.  
                “I wish he would stop using my name…” Masky grumbled before standing up and looking at me, “Well, we should get started. He’ll be back anywhere between twelve at night to four in the morning. That gives us plenty of time to cover everything I can teach you.”            
                “Alright,” I nod, and follow him down the hall to the office. Upon second inspection, the room is a lot colder and spacious than I first noted. Not because of the side of the room, but how it was arranged. “So what’s first?” I ask, and Masky points to the packet in my hands.  
                He sat down at the desk, and I sat on the floor next to him, “First you need to finish that packet, then I’ll start the weapon assessment. Trust me, it’s nothing fancy,” He laughed.  
 I fished around in my satchel for Hoody’s pen, and when I found the pink glitter pen, Masky shrugged.  
“Don’t worry about it,” He said, “As long as he can read it.”  
                I nod, “Okay.” I start to fill out the weird questions.  
 For example, the first one was, ‘In one word, describe your learning style.’ And while that one wasn’t so bad, the next one was, ‘If you were to describe yourself in as few words as possible, do so on the lines below.’  
When I mentioned something to Masky about it being kind of interesting, he said it wasn’t Slender’s work, and that the council had designed it a while back to make it easier for Operators to gather unobservable information.  
That made it make a lot more sense.

When I finished with the packet, I was a bit frazzled, but there was still more to do.  
                “You’re done already?” Masky asked, setting down the papers he was sorting. “That was fast, it usually takes a bit longer than that to finish, but whatever. You’re done, and that’s what matters.” He flipped through his clipboard, and handed me another paper. When I gave him a confused look her elaborated, “We have to have documentation that the assessments were completed, so we just do them all on paper.”  
                “Oh, okay,” I muse, and look down at the single sheet of paper. For an assessment, it’s surely short.  
It took me an hour of hard answering for me to finally finalize the weapon assessment. It wasn’t as hard as it seemed, but that didn’t deem it ‘not difficult.’  
                “You know…” Masky mused, gathering the two packets into one manila folder, “I wonder why the council chose you in the first place…” He lifted up his mask to right under his nose, “I mean, you seem normal enough… and the council having to intervene is surely strange…” He rubbed his chin, littering with light stubble. “I just don’t get it…”  
                “I don’t get it either…” I yawn. Today has been stressful and weird…  
                “Well, that’s all the information Slender _needed,_ ” He cracked his knuckles, “But now it’s time for questioning. I’ve been in the job for a while, so I should be able to tell you most of everything.” He smiled, and checked some things on his clipboard before turning to me again.  
                “Well… I was wondering… what exactly is the council?” I ask, and he frowns.  
                “The council…” He pondered for a second before exhaling sharply, “The council is composed of four members- whose names I have admittedly forgotten- and they all work to sustain peace in the Underworld, where Zalgo rules. There his proxies- or underlings, as he likes to call them- act ask operators and have their own proxies. Same for the Overworld- where Slender rules. He has us as primary proxies, while the others he has trained became operators and have their own proxies.” He waved his hand as he spoke, “Do you get it?”  
                I nod, “Yeah.”  
                “Any more questions?” He asked, folding his hands in his lap.  
                “I…” I chuckle, “I actually can’t think of any.”  
                He shrugged, “Questions will come with time.” Masky replaced his mask, “Make yourself presentable.” He stood up, and I followed suit as Slender Man suddenly appeared.  
                **“Karrie, Masky,”** He nodded, **“How did it go, Timothy?”** The being asked, his invisible eyes likely boring into the white mask the other wore.  
                “All things went as planned,” Masky reported, “All other observations have been recorded in her files.”  
                **“Very well done,”** He nodded, and turned to me, making my blood go ice cold as he spoke in his low voice- the sound echoing through my head. **“Karrie, how do you think you did on the assessments?”**  
               I try to swallow the lump in my throat, “I… I believe I did okay…” Why am I all of a sudden intimidated by him? It wasn’t that way just a few hours ago…  
                ****  
“Alright,”Slender nodded again, and then turned his head to Masky, dismissing him. From behind his mask, I could see the sympathetic look in his eyes before he left me with the being.  
**“Karrie,”** He addressed me, catching my attention once again, **“I know that you are new to this sort of thing, but do tell me…”** He seemed to have paused for dramatic effect, and I could just barely hear him in my thoughts above the beating of my heart, **“…What are your thoughts on** _killing_ people? Because, I don’t think you quite get what it is we do. You’ve seemed very kosher about this whole ordeal, and so I just have to ask.”  
               “Well…” I twiddle my thumbs, not taking my eyes from where his would be. “If I was to go from what morals I’ve been taught to respect, I would say killing people is wrong. But since morals are not something I particularly care for, I will give you my honest opinion and tell you that I do not see much problem in killing a fellow human being.” By now, my hands are twitching sporadically in nervousness.  
                He nods slowly, his chin resting in his palm as his elbow rests on his knee, **“I see… I was just curious if you knew what you were getting yourself into.”**  
               “Oh, well, it’s okay to be curious,” I reply sheepishly, holding my arm down so it doesn’t twitch as much. “In all truth, I’m curious about a lot of things…” I wonder if he noticed my lingering eyes…  
                Slender Man put a hand on my shoulder, **“I am curious of a few things myself.”** After a pause, and a glance away, he patted me on the back, **“You are dismissed. Masky will show you to your living space.”**  
               Before I leave, I smile and face him, “Thank you, sir.”  
                I could… almost sense him smiling back, **“You are very welcome, Karrie.”**

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a bit of feels. Rated 'F' for slight feels

I woke up in an unfamiliar room. The walls were an ugly, despicable white, and he windows were covered with wooden boards.  
It took me a moment too remember what all went on yesterday. So much happened in so little time…  
I immediately think of the Slender Man.  
I wonder what he’s doing at such an hour; I don’t see any light from the windows. Actually, now that I think about it, he might as well be asleep, since I’d imagine he operates at night.  
Nevertheless, I leave the room. I make sure that my feet are light on the wooden floorboards, as to not make any sound about the shack.  
A door is still open, and as I don’t remember where all the rooms are, I peer in to see what the room holds.  
It… well, it was the Slender Man’s room, but he was crouched over his bed, his head in his hands.  
I watched from a distance for a few moments, and when I was sure he hadn’t seen me, I took a step in.   
                “Boss?” I stop when I hear Masky’s voice, and that’s when I see him standing next to Boss.  
                **”Yes?”** Slender groaned, and lifted his head.  
                “Why… why did you call me in here?” He asked. His mask was off, and it was for the first time I was able to fully see the dark bags under his eyes. He looked horrible. His sweat-slicked face and disheveled hair was clue to this.  
                **“Ah, yes…”** Slender turned his head fully to his proxy, and I’m still surprised that neither of them have noticed me. **“You see, when I was in the meeting with Zalgo and the council, they had told me the exact reasoning as to _why_ they assigned Karrie to me.”  
                **“And… what was that, sir?” Masky asked.  
                **“They said that they assigned her to me, because not only had I never gathered a female proxy, but because she’s the only one of her kind…”** He spoke the last part more quietly, and Masky’s face contorted in confusion.  
                “Sir… what do you mean by that? Isn’t she the same as the rest of your Proxies…?” He asked, definitely intrigued by the new information.  
                **“Yes, but not in the sense I speak of. You see, she can die very much the same death as any of you- disease, combat- but she was apparently born of Zalgo and some human female. But the council deemed Zalgo unfit to carry out the tasks of being a parent, so they handed her over to me,”** He groaned in his hands for a second, before lifting his head once again when Masky spoke up.  
                “So they wanted _you_ to act as a parent?” Masky was obviously trying very hard to hold back a smile.  
                **“Yes!”** Slender growled, **“I mean look at me! Do I _really_ seem suitable to be a parental figure to anyone- let alone, anything!?”  
**                “Boss, don’t get so bent out of shape, okay? I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Masky set a hand on Slender’s back.  
                **“If you say so, Masky… Although, if I am to be honest for a moment, I do think that she will-“** He paused, and I felt my heart stop as he turned his head in my direction. **“Karrie… how long have you been there?”  
                ** “Long enough,” I stammer, and watched as Masky hastily puts his mask on.   
                **“I would have told you, child,”** He sighed. **“I mean, the least you could have done was introduce your presence.”  
                ** ”I’m sorry, I just… I had just woken up, and I was wondering where you were… sorry,” I hang my head low. I flinch slightly as he teleports to me, and with a sigh, lifts my head up with his hand.  
                **“It is okay. Just, next time, keep in mind that what you did was rude…”  
                ** “WOO!” I heard Masky whisper forcefully from next to the bed, “Good job, SM! A great start already.” From the tone of his voice, I could hear his grin.  
                Slender’s head snapped in Masky’s direction, **“Quiet, Timothy,”** He warned.!  
                “Yes, sir,” He muttered from behind his mask, and stared down at his feet.

The rest of the day went by somewhat smoothly. Until Toby got back.  
Apparently, as Toby and Hoody had gotten back from their last mission around his perimeter, Slender had sent Toby out to scout for something… Slender wouldn’t tell us. Or if he did tell Masky- since I learned he is the most trusted Proxy- Masky wouldn’t tell us.  
When Toby got home, he was a twitching mess. His hair- freed from his hood- was disheveled and small leaves poked out from his locks.  
His goggles, cracked and worthless around his neck, revealed his bloodshot, dark eyes, and the tears that ran down his slim face.  
                “Toby!” Hoody exclaimed when he entered the shack, worry obvious in his tone as he grasped the teen’s shoulders. “Toby, what happened to you?”   
                The brunette shook his head, before swallowing the lump in his throat, “It was the Rake… He attacked me…”  
                “The Rake?” I ask, and Masky turns to me.   
                “Of course you wouldn’t know of Rake. He’s one of Zalgo’s main Proxies; he’s usually our main problem since he is granted access to the Overworld,” He explained, his eyes narrowing from under his mask. “Zalgo keeps interfering like this, and we’ll go to war again…”  
                “War?” I ask, my voice squeaking slightly.   
                **“Yes, war,”** Slender appeared at Toby’s side, putting a hand on the sobbing teen’s shoulder in some sort of comforting fashion. **“We went to war a few years ago; the war took place in the Underworld, so you human’s wouldn’t have found out about it.”** He waved a hand dismissively, **“But if we were to go to war again, it would be no large feat. Zalgo and I have gone to war many times.”  
                ** “The idea of war though…” It’s only my second day, too…   
                Slender shook his head, **“While you- my Proxies- are directly affected by the war, you will not work alone. The other operators and their Proxies would help in the fight.”** He patted Toby on the back before teleporting to the couch, sitting down, **“Nevertheless, if Zalgo war, then so be it. But we cannot be certain _why_ he sent out Rake.”  
                **“True, true,” Masky nodded, a crooked finger resting on his chin.   
                “Slender,” Toby got the beings attention, his hand grasping a bloodied piece of paper as he collapsed on the floor.  
Hoody rushed to the floor by his side, kneeling by him and supporting his unconscious body wordlessly.  
 I hurried to get the paper from his hand, and I hand it to the Slender Man.   
 His eyeless face scans the paper before he hums and hands it back to me.  
I scan it over myself, and my eyes go wide as I realize it’s for me.  
                “What is it?” Masky asked, and even I could feel the glare Slender gave him.   
                **“If she wants to share what it says, she will,”** His deep voice reverberated through my thoughts, and I could only imagine the embarrassment Masky felt.  
                “I’ll read it,” I give Masky a smile, and turn back to the note, fully aware of the invisible eyes boring into me. “Dear Karrie,” I begin, feeling myself grow nervous, “Before you finish this note, I want you to be aware that this is your father writing you, Zalgo. You have fallen into the hands of the enemy, and it is in my best interest to inform you that it would be for the better if you sided with us before you are too far bound with the fate of the Slender Man. Meet with me in the Underworld, and make sure nobody else knows of these plans. Signed, Zalgo,” My eyes flicker from the note, to Slender, where he sits, and somehow he seems amused.  
                “So much for secretive plans,” Masky murmured with a chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest.  
                “Yeah…” Hoody said in a low voice, too focused in holding Toby up to actually listen to what Masky had said.  
                **“So, Zalgo feels it is appropriate to go through this like it is a game- a game he’s trying to cheat at, that is- since he’s well aware the council would disapprove of what he’s trying to do…”** Slender chuckled darkly, **“Ohhh… Just wait until he finds out I’ve made you my Proxy already; He’ll be _livid._ ”  
                **“What did he mean _fate_ though?” I ask, and everyone in the room just shrugs.   
                **“He possibly means becoming Proxy, but we can’t be certain about what exactly he means.”** Slender shrugged, and stood up, and folded his hands behind his back, **“Until then, we must be on high alert. If Karrie is what Zalgo wants, then that’s what he’ll try to get.”  
                ** “Alright,” Masky and Hoody nodded. I just stared awkwardly at the floor.   
                “What do you want me to do?” I ask.   
                  **“I will need you to stay with somebody at all times, to reduce the chance of you being abducted by any of Zalgo’s underlings. I personally would pair you up with Masky, but it is up to you,”** He waved his hands dismissively, and with his long legs, strode over to Toby and picked him up in his arms. **“I will be back. I’m going to bring Tobias to Eyeless Jack in operation group two. Anyone is welcome to join me.”** He turned to me, **“Karrie, would you care to join me?”  
                ** I smile, “Yes, I would, sir.” I add the ‘sir’ as a sudden second thought to maintain my manners.  
                **“Alright. Masky, Hoody, I can trust you to hold down the shack while I’m gone?”** Slender asked, and the two nodded in unison.   
                “Yes sir,” Masky answered, and Hoody just stuck to nodding in a way of saying, ‘Yeah, what he said.’  
                **“Good,”** Slender bowed his head in farewell, and stepped out the door into the cold. I followed him eagerly, though my arms were shivering, even through the thick, plaid jacket that I wore- that once adorned my waist.   
                “Why don’t you just teleport?” I ask, having seen him do it enough times to know he’s more than capable.   
                **“I cannot teleport with more than one more individual,”** He answered, **“It becomes dangerous, and one can become lost between the Underworld, and here.”  
                ** “Oh,” I mouth silently. Once I notice I’m falling behind the two, I take a few bounds to meet his side once more. “Sooo…” I try to think of something to say to break up any building tension, “What are your hobbies?”   
                **“Excuse me?”** His brow furrowed as he turned to look down at me.   
                “You know,” I mentally curse myself, “Things you do for fun?”     
From that point on, Slender was silent. I mentally cursed myself again.   
First attempt at befriending my boss: Failure.   
But hey, there might as well be other shots at this, right?  
 An hour of walking later, and there’s still no word spoken.   
                “I’m sorry,” I say quietly.

**“Sorry for what?”** Slender asked, not taking his eyes from before him. **“You did nothing wrong. I simply wasn’t sure how to respond…”  
                ** “Oh, okay,” I feel a smile tugging at my lips- for no reason whatsoever.   
Another five minutes, and we were at a similar looking, rundown house. The windows were boarded up, and the door swung lazily on its hinges.  
                **“Jeff!”** Slender yelled, and a groan came from inside.   
                “Whaddya want?” The man from before stumbled out of the door, his knife sticking out of the pocket of his hoodie. “Can’t you see some people are asleep?”  
                **“Yes, but I need Jack.”  
                ** “Which one?” Jeff grinned, and Slender growled.   
                **“Jeff…”** He warned, and Jeff immediately held up his hands in defense.   
                “Fine, fine… I’ll get Eyeless…” He grumbled, and reentered the building.  
                **“I swear,”** Slender shook his head, and adjusted his grip on the boy in his long arms. **“Jeff sometimes either has no brains, or enough brains to backtalk- I can never tell which it is.”  
** It took a few minutes, but a man in a blue mask walked groggily over to us, a scalpel in hand.   
                “What’s all this hullabaloo?” He asked, fingers digging into the sockets of his mask. “Slender? What are you doing here?”   
                **“Eyeless, I need you to check Toby. He was injured somehow in a fight with the Rake.”** Slender set the boy on the ground, and Eyeless crouched down next to him.  
                He leaned over him, and put a hand under his shirt, prodding around, causing the boy to stir, “Well, he has a large cut on his stomach, a few stitches and he should be fine. Other than that, he’s fine- well, besides everything that’s not fine with him,” He chuckled, and stood up with Toby in his hands.  
Slender chuckled himself, and asked Eyeless Jack if he minded patching the boy up.  
When Eyeless said he would, he reentered the house with Toby.  
                Jeff staggered back out, “So what happened?”  
                “Karrie here is in danger. Zalgo is sending his goons to come and collect her without the knowledge she has been made a Proxy. Toby was injured in an encounter with the Rake,” Slender elaborated, and Jeff’s eyes went wider as he realized who I was.  
                “You’re that girl from before…” He muttered, and when Slender asked about it, he just shrugged off the question.   
Not long after, Slender teleported us back to the shack. Once my feet met solid ground again, I raced to the restroom and slung myself over the toilet seat to puke. It felt like my guts had been blended!  
                “Uhg…” I mummer meekly. When I look up into the mirror, I see Masky looking down at me.  “Oh, hey Masky,” I greet him from the toilet.  
                Quickly I saw his eyes flicker away from me, and he muttered a, “Hello,” in a soft voice, before walking away. I watch after him, somehow mesmerized by the slight _swish_ in his step.  
I flush the toilet and stand up.

After a few minutes, I make my way to the main room.  
Masky was already on the couch, so I just sat next to him. He spared me a glance from the book he was reading, then went back to the words on the page. After a moment’s silence, the man sighs, and takes off his mask.  
                He chuckled nervously, “It’s a bit muggy in there.” I chuckled too, and notice all of the condensation on the mask.  
                “It must suck having to wear that almost constantly,” I comment, and he just shrugs.  
                “It’s not that bad once you get used to it,” He said, and set it down on the coffee table.  
Slender Man, who I realized was standing in the hallway, spoke up.           
  **“It seems like you two are getting along well,”**  He almost sounded bitter, and his tone sent a shiver up my spine.  
                “Yeah…” I smile, unnerved by the tension occupying the room. Masky’s smile faded, and his eyes met the mask on the table with almost a longing look in his eyes. He was silent.  
Noticing the discomfort between the two, I shrink down in the hard cushions.  
After a moment, Slender Man teleports away.  
                I wait a second before turning to Masky, “What’s the deal between you two?”  
                He sighed, and clutched his mask, the hurt look still lingering in his eyes, “Slender has not been kind to me in the past, and some of the hate we shared still remains between us. I only obey him now so that I don’t die here in this hell-hole.”  
                 “Oh…”  
                “And the only reason Brian trusts him, is because Slender brought him back to life! And for what? To use him like some stupid errand boy!” Masky paused, and sighs, “I’m sorry for ranting, really, I am… It’s just that…” His hands balled into fists, and that’s when I pulled him into a tight hug. I felt him stiffen, but I didn’t let go.  
                “It’s okay to rant,” I soothe a hand through his messy, dark brown locks, my chin resting on the top of his head. “I’ll listen anytime you need to vent, okay?”  
 When there was no reply, I pulled away. Masky was crying, his chin quivered and I could tell he was trying to keep it in. “Let it out,” I smile, and he breaks down. His latches onto my shoulders, crying into my shoulder, and soaking the fabric through.  
                “Thank you…” I heard him say weakly after a moment, holding me tighter. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard words like those…”  
I squeeze him in return, but when I go to pull away from him, our arms are still locked together when his eyes catch mine. We stare at each other; it isn’t until our lips are barely touching that Masky suddenly jerks away.   
“M-maybe we should stop,” He stammered, and I nodded awkwardly.  
                “Yeah, we should… I don’t want you to get in trouble with Boss anyways…” I chuckle nervously, very aware of the blush on both of our faces.  
                “Yeah, that’d be bad,” He laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

Masky woke me up.  
His expression was laced with concern, and his forehead was slick with sweat- either from his mask or not.  
                “Karrie,” He got my attention before I could drift back to sleep. Outside I could see the pink of the rising sun. “Karrie, are you awake?”   
                “Yeah…” I grumble groggily, and rub my eyes from sleep. “What’s the matter?”  
                “It’s Slender,” He said hastily, “He’s been gone all night! Usually he only goes out for a few hours, and when he does go out for longer, he makes sure to be back before sunrise.”  
                “Okay?” I groan, and attempt to roll over before it actually registers in my head what he said. “What!? Then what are we waiting for, let’s go!” I jump out of bed- conveniently till in my clothes- and grasp Masky’s wrist.  
                “Uh- okay!?” Masky stammered out, and rushed out of the room with me. I grabbed my jacket quickly from the rack by the door, and with Masky’s wrist still in my hand, I rushed from the shack.

It took me a minute to realize we weren’t going to find him right away, and I slowed down.  
Masky paused, his hands on his knees as he panted. He slid his mask on as he caught up to me.   
                “Okay, are we done running for now?” He said breathlessly, “Because, to be honest, I’m not quite in shape…”  
                “Yeah, sorry about that,” I chuckle, and through the sockets of his mask I can see the playful glint in the glare he spared me.  
As we walked, for a while we were silent.  
“So about last night-“ Masky started but I cut him off.  
                “Don’t ask  about it,” I say quickly.  
                “M’kay…” Masky said just as fast, trying to bypass the awkward silence. But, to no avail.  
 The silence lollygagged along with us, until Masky suddenly stopped in his tracks.  
“You know… I have a suspicion of where he could be… but I don’t want to make any assumptions…”   
                “Well, what’s your idea? I’ve got jack,” I sigh, and turn back to him.  
                “I think he might have been taken prisoner by the PHA- the Paranormal Hunters Association.  They’ve been on our case for _years_ \- hunting us, killing Proxies and torturing them for information,” He shook his head.  
                “That’s… horrible,” I mummer, and he nods.  
                “Yeah, they don’t have the equipment to discover the Underworld, but if they did, that would mean the collapse of our community as we know it. Operators now are on top guard, some even try to fight back against the PHA,” He sighed, but it cut short as he suddenly stopped. “Do you know if you could actually kill somebody? I know my idea is dangerous, but I need to be sure.”  
                “I…” I have to really think on this… People killing people is one thing, but killing someone myself is another thing entirely, “I think so…”  
                “Good,” He fished through his jacket, before pulling out a knife, “Here. Use this. We haven’t found your specialty yet, but I think you’re prepared.”  
                “Alright…” I say unsurely, and take the knife from him. I hold it how it feels comfortable, with the blade pointing down from my hand.  
“So where are these guys, anyways?” I ask as Masky zipped up his jacket.  
                “In the city, right off of Ross Road,” He pulled off his mask, revealing his frown, “The thing is, that street is always so crowded…”      
                “That doesn’t matter,” My own smile tugs down, “Without Slender, you know everyone would be in disarray.” I fold my hands over my chest, and take his mask from him. I hang it on a tree, “You think you can find this l later on?” I ask, and he nods.  
                “Jeez, if you weren’t the daughter of Zalgo, I’d surely imagine you the daughter of Slender- you seem kind of like him when it comes to getting things done,” He chuckled.  
I roll my eyes, and mutter a ‘whatever’, a smile deciding to throw itself on my lips.  
                “I don’t think I’m anything like Slender,” I say.  
                “Okay, you have your opinion then,” He waved a dismissive hand; his smile had returned too.

We walked down the bustling street, the people occasionally sparing Masky and I weird looks.   
While I ignored them, it was obvious it was getting on Masky’s last nerve.  
                “Hey!” I turned around, hearing someone shout.   A woman with a camera bounded up to us, “Can I take your picture?” She held up the camera, and smiled.  
I turned to Masky to ask his opinion, when he just shrugged, the woman must have taken that as a ‘yes,’ and snapped the photo.  
“Great!” She beamed, “What are ya’lls names?”   
                “I’m Karrie,” I say awkwardly, and before I can even turn to Masky to ask him what name he wanted to use, he quickly says: “Timothy.”  
I stare at him for a moment before turning back to the woman. She runs off to a group of people, yelling loudly, “I’ve found the perfect couple!”   
 I blush bright red, and from the corner of my eye, I can see him blushing too. We reach the building. It’s a large building, and from it’s size it’s surprising that it was just recently founded.  
Masky explains what it is we’re going to do to me as we sit outside a nearby restaurant.   
                “So what we’re going to do is this,” He folds his hands in front of him, “Once it’s night, that doesn’t mean everyone has gone home for the night; Especially since they might have Slender.”  
He turned to me more clearly, and folded his fingers together, “So, once it’s night, we’ll sneak in. The thing is, we need somebody to take out the cameras.”  
                “Oh, well I mean…” I stammer for second, but Masky presses a finger to my lips.  
                “Shush,” He smiled, “I’ve got somebody.” He pulled out a phone, dialed a number and before I could even wonder how his phone stays connected, it started to ring.  
“Hey, Ben,” He leaned back, his voice casual and collected. “I need you to do me a favor.”  
                “Yeah? What is it? I’m kind of busy,” I heard from just next to him.  
                “We’re at the PHA headquarters, I need you to take out the cameras,” Masky said, and there was a thoughtful hum from the other side.   
                “Which one?” It sounded like a mock question, and Masky frowned.  
                “The local one!” He yelled, an annoyed smile playing at his chapped lips.  
                “Alright, alright…” Ben muttered. “I got ‘ya. You should be good in a few minutes.”   
                “Thanks, Ben,” Masky nodded, and then hung up. “You know, I’m surprised he didn’t ask what we needed that for.”               
                “Yeah, that seemed lucky,” I mumble, and lean my head on Masky’s shoulder. “Gosh…” I sigh.  
 What are my feelings for him? And… why? No… I couldn’t possibly have feelings for him; That’d cause too many problems anyway.  
                “What’s wrong?” Masky asked, and moved a hand through my mid-length hair. “You seem about of it.”  
Could I tell him? What would he think?  
                “It’s nothing,” I lie, and Masky offers me a skeptical look.  
                “Really, though?” He chuckled. “I’ve been in this business for a while- I mean, not as long as others- but I know when somebody’s lying. But if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay… Just… I’m worried about you,” He muttered.   
After a moment of silence, I comment, ignoring him for the sake of my sanity.  
                “It’s going to be a while until dark…”   
                “Yeah,” He scoffed. I smile, and close my eyes against his shoulder. I breathe in his smell, a strange mixture that makes me taste blood upon smelling. Along with the strange sensation of blood, there was the almost familiar smell of the shack.  
The shack reminded me of stale bread and burnt cardboard, with a hint of an old pine car air freshener.  
And he smelled almost just like it. There was also the stranger smell of cigarettes.   
                I don’t lift my head from his shoulder, but ask: “Do you smoke?”   
                “Yeah, you just caught on to that?” He smiled. “Speaking of smoking…” Masky rummaged through his pockets, before pulling out a cigarette case. He opened it, where two waiting inside.   
“What about you, do you smoke?” He asked, and I nod.   
                “I do,” I answer, and he hands me the other one.   
                “You got a lighter on you?” He asked, and I hold up a finger for him to wait a moment. I rummage through my own pockets, before finding the deep blue lighter I stole from my mother.  
                “Here you go,” I hand it to him, and he lights his own before handing it to me. I light mine, but it’d been so long since I’d been able to snatch a smoke that I coughed pretty hard.  
                “Wait, I forgot…” Masky murmured, “How old are you anyways?”  
                I feel my face heat up, “…Thirteen…”  
                “Thirteen!?” His mouth fell agape, and his cigarette almost fell out of his hand, “Dang… what was the council thinking?” His eyes were wide as he leaned back, taking a long drawl from the cig in his fingers. “I mean…” His eyes lingered on me as he exhaled deep, “You’re still so young. I had until my mid-twenties till I had to join Slender.”   
                “What? How old are _you_?” I chuckle nervously, and his brow furrows as he takes another drawl.  
                “How old am I?” He sighed, and smoke rolled from his lips, “I just turned thirty last month.”   
                “December?” I question, “I was born then too.”   
                “So what day were you born?” He asked, puffing out more smoke. “I was the twenty-fourth.”   
                “Really?” I ask, not believing my ears, “I was the twenty second!”   
                “Damn, so you _just_ turned thirteen,” his eyebrows rose as his voice portrayed his disbelief.   
                “Yeah…” I sigh, my eyes scan the street. The sun just started to go down, and the street had just started clearing of people.  
The sky is an array of pinks and purples, blues hiding in the clouds that hid the fact that the noon wasn’t far behind us.   
Masky’s hand rested on my scalp, his hand buried in my brunet locks, and it sifted through with a strange, familiar feel. Like I this moment was meant to be.  
  



	4. Chapter 4

It turned dark. All the lights were off in the building.   
Masky deemed the timing right at approximately twelve, when after a few minutes, nobody exited the building.  
I followed after Masky when the streets were vacant into the alley separating the building from a long-since-closed department store. The alley was dark, and to make ourselves completely invisible, we were pressed tightly together. Then again, it didn’t help that it was more of a divot than an actual alleyway.   
It was hard for me not to be distracted by the arm wrapped around my shoulders, pressing me close to the other, but I tried my best to focus on the seemingly empty building.   
                “From prior missions,” He started, shifting his weight onto another leg, leaning him closer to the entrance to get a better view, “I can say they probably took him to the underground levels of their labs. That was be the most logical, anyways,” He shrugged, and I nodded slowly.  
                “Alright… Yeah, that does sound more… better,” I giggle, “You know, if that makes any sense at all.”  
A brief smile crosses his face, but his deep brown eyes remain focused ahead.   
He signals me to follow him as he exits the divot, and checks both sides of the road- making sure nobody was coming.  
                “Ben should have gotten the cameras long before now,” He commented, and reaches a shaky hand to the doors handle. He lets out a surprised hum when the door easily swings open.  
“That’s… strange…” He whispered, and motioned for me to enter behind him as he stepped into the darkness of the large lobby.  
Not even seconds after the door shut behind me, Masky gripped my wrist tight, and pulled me into a hallway. A security guard walked by, whistling a familiar tune.  
His other hand, clasped tightly around my mouth tightened after I let out an unintentional, surprised yelp.   
“Be quiet,” He warned, his grip on my wrist tightening to the point of it being painful.  
 I nod, and he lets go. As the guard turns the other way down the hall, Masky rushes behind him, and slits his throat with the knife I didn’t even see him pull out.  
I was frozen in the hall, positive that somebody would have heard the thump of the body as it hit the ground. But nobody came.  
I let out a silent sigh of relief, and follow close behind Masky as he turns down the hall. The hall opened up into a darker, wider room.  
Once we were all the way in, the lights suddenly cut on.  
There was a well-dressed man in the center of the room, his hands folded behind his back.   
                “We were expecting somebody to come,” He cocked his head to the side, “I didn’t think it’d be some man and their teen apprentice.”  
I don’t know what made him think I was his apprentice, but whatever. I’m not going to argue.  
Masky’s brow furrows, and he asks who the man is.  
“You see, I am Christopher Socks- head of the PHA,” He grinned.  
                Masky’s eyes go wide, “You can’t be…”   
                I ball my hands into fists, “Where’s our boss!?” I yell, anger already bubbling up in me. I can feel something different, though…  
                “How about you find out for yourselves?” He said coyly, and smiled.  
                “Wha-“ I turn to Masky, and see a man sneaking up behind him. “Turn around!” I have to refrain from using either of his names.  
Masky silently, but swiftly turned around and socked the man in the jaw, sending him tumbling to the floor.  
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Christopher open his mouth to speak, only for him to close it milliseconds later. A numbing pain spread through my arm, as it turned black in the blink of an eye, and razor sharp claws came out as I reached for a man’s throat, and completely tore open his neck. Blood spewed all on me.  
Something inside me… I feel angry…  
As I calm down, I look down to my hand, seeing the color retract, and my hand go back to normal.  
                “How interesting…” Christopher hummed, and grinned.  
                “The only thing interesting is your face!” I yell, but lose my confidence as I see Masky being overtaken by guards. Before I can help him, a strong arm wraps around my neck and I’m kicked in the back of the knees, landing me on the ground.  
                “We’ll see about that,” He scowled, and nodded to the person behind me. That’s when the pain came, and I saw black.

I wake up. My mind’s still fuzzy from whatever hit me- probably that person behind me. Jerk.  
Looking around the room, I see Slender and Masky bound to similar tables.  
I try to move, but found myself bound as well.  
                **“It’s no use, child,”** I heard Slender interrupt my thoughts. I stop struggling.   
**“I’m surprised you were the first to awaken. Knowing him, _he_ should already be awake by now,” **He motioned over to Masky. I caught on that we weren’t to say our names.  
**“I’ve been waiting for the others. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting him to take _you_ of all people- since you are new- nothing against you,” **He nodded, and turned his head to the side.   
I feel slightly embarrassed that I had come along. Maybe Masky wouldn’t have been caught if Hoody had gone along. Maybe I messed us up…  
**“Do not fret, child. I am glad that it was you that came. Now you have at least some sort of experience in this field… Even though this isn’t exactly how I would have gone about doing that…”** He sighed, **“No matter, you’re here, and that’s what matters.”  
                ** “Yeah, you’re right,” I smile.  
                **“Although,”** He chuckled, **“This doesn’t quite count as a good example, since we are, indeed, trapped.”  
                ** “Augh…”  Masky groaned as he came through.   
                **“Where is your mask?”** Slender immediately scolded.   
                “Up your ass, now, is Karrie safe?” He said dismissively, and when his eyes settled on me, he let out a sigh. “Alright, now, how are we getting out of here?”  
                **“That is what I have been trying to figure out, but to no avail,”** Slender growled, and balled his fists. That’s when Christopher entered with a huge, cocky grin.   
**“Mortal, you are foolish to enter without guards,”** Slender warned calmly. **  
**                 “Hold your tongue, beast!” His grin fell immediately as he yelled. Slender growled loudly in response, and I shudder at the sound as it reverberated through the actual space- not my mind.  
                “Who are you?” Christopher grumbled, turning swiftly to Masky.  
                “I don’t have to tell you anything,” He grunted, and probably would have crossed his arms if they weren’t bound to the table.  
                Christopher hummed thoughtfully, and turned to me, making my fingers twitch anxiously, “So,” He folded his arms across his chest, looking up at me as I lay on the suspended table, “Who are you?”   
I frown, and straight up spit on his clean shaven face.  
He scowled, and wiped the saliva from his cheek/lip area. Christopher glared at me, “Monster… You know not what I am capable of…” He growled, and I mumbled a quiet response under my breath.   
“What was that!?” He demanded to know, and I pressed myself up against the table as he yelled before leaning forward and yelling back in response.  
                “I don’t even know what _I’m_ capable of!” I pant, having screamed at the top of my lungs.  
                Christopher was silently glaring me down before he muttered, “I’ll be back…” He left the room.  
I huff as I strain against the restraints again, hearing the leather as it rubs against my sore wrists. I fall limp, and breathe a sigh of frustration.  
                “He’s dumb,” Masky comments, and Slender lets out a snort of a laugh.  
                I chuckle, “Yeah…”  
                “Hey boss,” Masky turns to Slender, and he hums in response. “Can you still use your powers?”  
                He huffed, **“No. Why would I still be here if I had my powers? Why would we be in this _predicament_ if I still had my powers?” **  
                “True…” Masky mumbled.   
                **“And even without my actual _powers,_ ” **He went on with his rant, **“My tendrils wouldn’t do me any good whilst I am tied down.”  
                ** Masky nods slowly, before asking, “So you can’t use your mind control?”   
                **“That is correct,”** Slender grunted nonchalantly, **“I cannot use mind control.”  
                ** “So,” Masky started, huffing in an exasperated manner, “What now?” Silence overtook the room, and I think back to the fight from earlier.   
                “Quick, make me emotional,” I blurt out, and Slender seemed to give me an odd look.  
                “What?” Masky asked, but Slender cut him off before he could say anything.  
                Slender looks away for a second, sighs, and turns back to me- his invisible brow furrowed, **“You are by far the worst possible choice the council could have made in a proxy. They obviously made a mistake when choosing you- a miscalculation, you could say- because I see _no_ possible way you could _ever_ become a respectable underling to me.” **He said it with no emotion, and I found myself believing him as his voice rang through my head. **“And the disrespect from your Operator is as high level of dishonor one can achieve.”  
** I look into the eyes that weren’t there, my teeth worrying my lower lip as tears ran down my face.   
Did he mean it? What if he did?   
I start to feel angry… I mean, why did he feel that way in the first place? Did the council really make a mistake? Is that even possible?  
My hands ball into fists, and I feel a numbing pain run through my body. Pain in my chest, legs and arms- a tearing pain- like an old scab being reopened.   
I let go of a blood chilling scream, and Christopher rushed in.   
                “What the-“ He cut himself off as I snapped the straps in my straining. With must haste, I undo the bindings on the others, having to throw Christopher off of me in the process.  I’m still crying when I find myself in the woods.   
I look down at my clothes, seeing them filthy with my own blood. Taking off my jacket, I’m startled to find sharp mouths smiling up at me on my upper arms.   
                “What… is this?” I whimper, bringing a hand up to feel the horns that had protruded from my skull. My hands are black, and it wouldn’t surprise me if all of me was at this point.  
                **“It’s your true form,”** Slender replied calmly.  
                “Slender… you didn’t… _really_ mean what you said back there… did you?” I ask, feeling myself calm down, but I was still worrying my lip. It’s when I taste blood that I stop.   
                **“I did not,”** He said, and I let out a sigh of relief. **“And even if I do think ill of somebody, I do not say it to their face,”** The smile his voice was also reassuring as we started off back towards the shack.  
                “I didn’t know you could do… _that_ ,” Masky said, obviously still awestruck.   
                “I… wasn’t too sure if I could do it either…” I chuckled, and that’s when Slender coughed into a fist.   
                **“Karrie- your shirt,”** He pointed down to my shirt, and I looked before realizing that my shirt had ripped open in the process. How I didn’t realize that before is beyond me.  I quickly put my jacket back on, and hope I can find a way to change back soon…  
                “Thank you,” I say, awkwardly brushing a piece of hair out of my face. My hair that was now a lighter shade of brown than it was, and looked redder than anything. It was strange, and I stare at it for a moment before catching Masky’s lingering eyes.  
“What?” I grin, and he blushes, and turns away quickly.   
                “Nothing,” He quickly stammered, and stiffly ran up ahead to the shack. I shake my head, and keep by Slender.   
                **“You know, you don’t look bad Zalgofied,”** Slender nodded to me, and it’s my turn to blush at what I suppose was a compliment.   
                “Thank you…” I murmur.   
                **“I mean it,”** The smile in his voice was there again before he teleported away, and left me just outside the door.

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
